TE Wright steps up for career-best eight catches

DETROIT -- In a game full of players stepping up because of injuries, the Bucs got a career-high eight catches from tight end Tim Wright, who played a bigger role after starter Tom Crabtree was lost to an arm injury.

Wright was busy from the start, however, catching Mike Glennon's first four completions on a first-quarter drive that gave the Bucs a 3-0 lead. Three of them came on conversions on third-down plays, including a 7-yard grab on third-and-5 and a 16-yard catch on third-and-6.

"I had to step up and be that guy. They were double-covering a couple of our guys, so when that happens, somebody's open," said Wright, a converted receiver who made the team as an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. "When the ball is in the air and my number is called, I just feel like I have to go get it for my team."

Wright's 16-yard grab came literally on his back across the middle, and now has 34 catches for 366 yards and two touchdowns, ranking second behind only receiver Vincent Jackson in all three statistical categories.

Crabtree, who missed the first month of the season with a high ankle sprain, left the game early and did not return. The severity of his injury is unknown, but the team has already put two other tight ends -- Luke Stocker and Nate Byham -- on injured reserve.

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